Nightmares | Aphrodite & Minsung
Thatâs what heâs been telling himself when the memory of fire ablaze in the middle of cold December flashed through his mind. There were screams and shouting but Minsung couldnât comprehend what they were shouting at, everything seems to be deafened by the sound of crackling fire thatâs burning down his home into ashes.
Then thereâs ashes, the remains of what he used to call it home. Among the ashes there lay a really familiar face, a face that hold striking resemblance with him and yes, the face of his twin brother Minsung. The faint of life in his eyes stares right through his core, it scares him and in the midst of all that, he screamed, telling them to just stop.
Minsung jolted awake, beads of sweat rolling down his head as his breathing ragged, trying to inhale as much air as he could. His eyes scanned over his surrounding, sheer fabrics draped over the curtains, a faint smell of rosesâheâs not in his home.
His instincts told him to run, he can feel the airways getting constricted again as he turned around to meet warm brown optics staring at him. His shoulders slouched and his breathing comes in a much slower, steadier pace, heâs safe, his brain told him, momâs here.
The thing that he craved the most is the thing that he avoids the most, ironically. Ever since his brother and father were killed, Minsung got nothing to lose. Attachments means that he has something to lose, something to protect and something to return to, in which, heâs scared that heâll lose it again. The nightmare that had been haunting him since that night is like a reminder of the inevitable; nothing lasts forever. Eventually, his mother will go and abandon him again.
Minsung leaned over, resting his forehead on her shoulder inhaling the faint smell of roses and oddly enough, home, a smell of familiarity. It feels weird but heâs too exhausted to think further, the image of red flames dancing in the middle of that cold winter day shook him more than he thought it would and especially the sight of his dead father and brother.
The rage and wrath manage to make him forget about them. He always justifies it as revenge but thatâs half of the truth. Truth is that he doesnât want to deal with grief and loss of his family where he belonged and right now, he feels the same familiar feeling that heâs been longing for the last two years; home.
He sniffled, shoulders trembling as tears streamed down his face. He didnât mean to cry at all, but it just happened at a worse time and at the worst place. âI missed themâŠâ he sobbed, voice strained by the hiccups as he tries to breathe in between. âI missed them,â he wailed, wiping his face harshly to force the tears to stop but nothing really ever goes his way does it? Only now that he realized how lonely and empty he is.
She knew that it was a big step for Minsung to sleep over at her place - the boy always seemed to tightly wound, so angry at a world that he felt had betrayed him. Aphrodite hadnât spent an entire lifetime at his side, and in fact could hardly recall who his father even was, but he was still her child. Looking down at him, head rested on her silken pillow, she couldnât help but think about how mortal he was.
He was just a boy and perhaps took after his father more than she (although, naturally, the beauty was all hers). He had not, and most likely would not, live for eternity like she would. Mortality was something that she had become more aware of in the past months but, rather than mourning it, Aphrodite took it as motivation to make the best of what time she could have with him.
âSweet Minsung,â she whispered to herself, about to turn away and retreat to her own room - but then she heard him. Minsung didnât say anything, but he sounded as though he was hurt. Brows furrowed and breaking out in sweat; Aphrodite knew that something was wrong. Perhaps it was just a bad dream, but even that was enough to spark her concern.
âBaby, baby?â she spoke softly, reaching out to pat his shoulder but was instead shocked when he bolted upright in bed, âOh myââ He had never really told her what happened, never seeming to open up about the pain he carried inside of him, but Aphrodite could tell that it had caught up with him. As Minsung leaned his head against her shoulder, a vulnerable action that he had never done before, Aphrodite wrapped her arms around him.
Gently hushing and rubbing his back, the Goddess place a small kiss to the top of his head. Who did he miss? Her natural instinct was to ask him but, not wanting to upset him more, she chose instead to wait for when he wanted to tell her. âItâs okay, baby - Iâm here.â
